Sawtooth Mountains (Minnesota)

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The Sawtooth Mountains are a range of low, serrated ridges situated on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the U.S. state of Minnesota.

[edit] Description

The Sawtooth Mountains on the Lake Superior shore, looking west by southwest from Grand Marais, Minnesota

The Sawtooth Mountains rise from Lake Superior at angles between 8 and 20 degrees and drop off steeply on their north sides.^[1] They received their name as a result of their relatively uniform size, angles, and regularity of spacing; seen from Lake Superior to the east, "the visible crest line thus presents a remarkable profile, resembling the teeth of an immense saw."^[2]

Notable hills and mountains in this range include Carlton Peak, Mount Northrop, Chester Peak, Mount Josephine, Moose Mountain, Mount Reunion, Disappointment Mountain, Prospect Mountain, and others not named here. The mountains extend down to the Lake Superior Shore to present spectacular lakefront bluffs, including Silver Cliff, Castle Danger, Palisade Head, and Shovel Point.

This cross-section of the Lake Superior basin shows the lakebed east of the Sawtooths, but exhibits the tilted strata of volcanic rock which form the mountains.

[edit] Rivers

Some of the well-known rivers that pass through the Sawtooths on their way to Lake Superior include:

• Lester River
• Gooseberry River
• Baptism River
• Manitou River
• Temperance River
• Brule River
• Pigeon River

[edit] Tourism

The Sawtooths are home to many picturesque hills, rivers, and parks. Some of the notable sites include:

• Cascade River State Park
• George H. Crosby Manitou State Park
• Gooseberry Falls State Park
• Grand Portage National Monument
• Judge C. R. Magney State Park
• Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
• Superior Hiking Trail
• Superior National Forest
• Temperance River State Park
• Tettegouche State Park, including Palisade Head

Lutsen Mountains Ski Resort is located in the Sawtooths, just northwest of the town of Lutsen; the area includes Moose Mountain, one of the higher peaks of the range.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Ojakangas, Richard W.; Charles L. Matsch (1982). Minnesota's Geology, Illus. Dan Breedy, Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-0953-5. 
2. ^ Upham, Warren (2001) Minnesota Place Names, A Geographical Encyclopedia, Third Edition, p147; MHS Press; ISBN 0-87351-396-7